NEW ORLEANS -- A Pearl River-area woman remains jailed after her arrest Saturday for allegedly trying to evict her adult daughters from her home by setting it on fire, according to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office. The incident happened Saturday at about 9 a.m. at 106 Cherrywood Drive.
According to investigators, Belinda Smith, 47, came home from an all-night drug binge insisting that her daughters, ages 19 and 21, give her money for cocaine. When they refused, Smith grabbed a piece of wood and tried to hit them, police said. The daughters fled to another room to call deputies and Smith left the home.
Moments later, deputies patrolling the area in response to the first call got another call from the home. This time, the daughters said Smith had poured gasoline on a pile of laundry and tried to ignite it.
When deputies arrived, Smith, armed with an ax handle, was breaking the first-floor windows and threatening her daughters.
Deputies said Smith admitted trying to burn the house, saying it belonged to her and and she was free to destroy it. Smith was booked with aggravated arson and aggravated criminal damage.
Details here from TheNewOrleasnsChannel.com.